


Build-A-Brother

by SimplyUnknown



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Potential Spoilers for Mascot Melee, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 17:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16330544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyUnknown/pseuds/SimplyUnknown
Summary: When April goes to pick up a new Teddy Bear Town card for Raph, she finds something too cute to resist.





	Build-A-Brother

_"April, thanks for doing this."_ April sighed and shook her head as she strode into the mall, phone pressed against one ear. Raphael had been calling her with grateful thanks for the past twenty minutes. 

"It's fine, Raph. It's not a huge hardship for me to go and pick you up a new frequent buyers card from Teddy Bear Town while I'm doing my weekly window shopping," she gently chided the giant turtle. "Besides, if you went to get one for yourself, you'd walk out with another twenty or so new bears, _at least_."

_"I mean, she's not wrong, bro,"_ Leo pointed out. 

_"Shut up, I have excellent self-control,"_ the older turtle protested. April could feel her eyes rolling as things quickly developed into a shouting match about the other's spending habits. It was an argument all four brothers had every time something needed replacing. Though admittedly, most weren't because cockroach mascots/thieves ripped up a buyer's card before being defeated in a dance battle inspired by memes. 

"Ok, I'm almost there. I'll stop by later tonight with your card, alright? Bye boys!~" Without waiting for a response, the girl hung up and slid her phone back into the pocket of her favorite jacket. "The things i do for my boys," April chuckled under her breath as she stepped off of the sunbaked sidewalk and into the blessed air conditioning of the mall. Humming a song from an old cartoon she half-remembered, April strutted her way past racks of cheap sunglasses, paused to ponder and then decide against a shirt modeled in a store window, and fight bravely against the temptation of a stale pretzel. Thankfully, Teddy Bear Town wasn't too crowded as she slipped past a small group of kids deciding which bear was best.

The cashier, an apathetic looking college kid with a nametag reading Nestor, glanced up from his phone and sighed. "Welcome to Teddy Bear Town, where you can make your own _special_ little friend," he recited with practically no expression whatsoever. "What do you need?" 

"My friend's frequent buyer card had a bit of...an accident," April replied. "Could I pick up a replacement please? He had 8 hearts punched out." The cashier pointed to the small tray of cards. Oh, that would not do at all. "I _said_ ", April repeated with just a hint of death in her voice, "he had 8 hearts punched out." 

Nestor glanced up from his texting, paled, and fumbled in snagging a new card to punch holes into. April beamed before her gaze was drawn to something behind the counter. There was a small blue sign with a sea turtle on it, floating above the words "Support the New York City Aquarium!" "What's that about?" she asked, pointing to the sign. 

The cashier glanced behind him and sighed. "Apparently we tried to partner up with the aquarium to sell things _other_ than teddy bears at Teddy Bear Town. Seriously, how did they think it was going to go?" he huffed. "We have a bunch of different turtles in the back that nobody wanted." 

"Turtles..." April's mind was humming with a wonderful idea. Nestor didn't share her vision. 

"Yeah, and so many freaking varieties. I mean, what kid is going to care whether or not they get a sea turtle over...I don't know. What other kinds are there?" 

April tilted her head and put on her sweetest smile, the one that meant business. "I don't suppose you have a snapping turtle, a red-eared slider, a softshell, and a box turtle back there do you?" Nestor gave her an odd look, and April merely turned up the brightness. 

"I'd...have to check." 

"You do that." The cashier huffed and stalked off towards the back, muttering about weirdos. But April didn't care. This would put her back a bit cashwise, but it would be _so_ worth it!

* * *

Later that night, April waltzed into the home of her favorite reptiles. Raphael's new card was sitting in her pocket, four gift bags dangled from her arms, and she was holding two boxes of fresh pizza. "I come bearing gifts!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the huge room.

Mikey glanced down from the wall where he'd been busily painting his newest masterpiece. "Ooh, pizza!" Then his eyes dropped down to the bags. "Ooooooh! Presents!" 

That got Leo's attention. "Presents!? We didn't forget anything important, did we? DONNIE!" The shout pulled the softshell out of his lab. "Any anniversaries we missed?" 

The purple-clad turtle rubbed his chin for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No, no there's nothing right now." 

"It's not an anniversary present, Leon," April gently chided as she set down the pizzas. "It's an _'I wanted to give you a present so here is your present'_ present." 

"Truly the best kind of present," the red-eared slider agreed as the eldest of the brothers came jogging in. 

"I smelled pizza and heard presents. Hi April!" Raph eagerly greeted their best friend. "Did you get my new card?" 

"Right here, baby," April handed over the replacement. With the delicacy of a surgeon, Raph opened his wallet and slid his new Teddy Bear Town frequent buyers card back into its place. 

Mikey was practically vibrating in anticipation. "Can we open them now, April?! Please please please can we open them now?!" April smiled and removed the bag with bright orange tissue paper. Squealing with delight, Mikey snatched it from her hand and dove in. Flinging tissue paper left and right, he suddenly paused with eyes going huge. "Oh. My. God." 

"What is it, Mike?" Leo asked, peaking over the youngest turtle's shoulder. A grin slid onto his face. "Wait, is that you?" 

"It's me! It's me in cute, adorable plush form!" Mikey cheered as he pulled the toy from the bag. The box turtle plush beamed back, face covered with an orange mask hand-made by April herself and shell covered in various stickers. He buried his face in plush, squealing. "It's so cute!" 

"Mikey, you're always cute and adorable," April gently chided as she passed the other three brothers their bags. "But yes, it is plush." 

The orange-clad turtle flung his arms around the native New Yorker. "Thank you, April! This is the best!" 

"Aw, he's even got a little sword!" Leo cooed as he examined his own doppelganger's weapon of plastic. "And Don's got a battle shell!" 

"Of cardboard and felt, yes," the purple turtle replied as he delicately ran his hands over April's handiwork. "I'm surprised at how accurate it is, April." 

"What can I say, I'm a woman of many talents," she teased before glancing over to Raph. The snapping turtle gazed down at his tiny plush form, tears welling up in his eyes. "Oh, Raph, don't cry!" 

Instantly, she and Mikey were swept up into the largest turtle's arms for a hug. "How did we get so lucky to get a friend like you?" she heard Raph whisper into her hair. Leo grinned and dragged over a protesting-solely-for-form Donnie to complete the group hug. "Thanks, April." 

Smiling, April leaned into the hugs of the boys she loved like little brothers. "I just like seeing my boys smiling. Now come on, let's eat before the pizza gets cold."

A few weeks later, there's a handmade April plush sitting on her bed. 

**Author's Note:**

> I recently watched Mascot Melee and I loved the idea of Raph having a huge collection of stuffed animals he has to eventually replace because he's so spiky. But then I remembered that Build-A-Bear had the option for you to make your own TMNT turtle in the past and loved the idea of April going in and building plushies for the boys. Because face it, Raph and Mikey would adore them, Leo would think it was cool, and Donnie would hide his opinion before sticking the plush in a place of honor in his lad. Probably build it a tiny welding mask too.


End file.
